Probe of Possible Chinese Influence on Elections Sought

Citing concern that an alleged spy case may also have tainted the nation’s political system, U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) has asked federal authorities to investigate whether suspected double agent Katrina M. Leung illegally funneled money into campaigns at the direction of China.

In a letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, Lieberman noted that the lengthy 1997 congressional investigation into the 1996 federal elections -- and, particularly, the Democratic campaign of then-President Bill Clinton -- was based largely on information provided by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

“I am asking that you investigate whether ... firm evidence has now arisen” that Chinese officials influenced U.S. elections through campaign contributions, Lieberman wrote.

Press accounts and public records, Lieberman said, show that Leung, a San Marino businesswoman, was active in political circles and contributed to the Republican National Committee. He cited a 1997 story in The Times in which Leung dismissed allegations that an Indonesian businessman she knew might be a Beijing political operative.

“The prospect of a foreign government illegally influencing our political campaigns is a very troubling one, and any evidence that that might have occurred must be vigilantly investigated and pursued,” Lieberman wrote.

FBI officials have said their investigation of Leung and her FBI contact, former Los Angeles counterintelligence agent James Smith, would include every aspect of their work during a 20-year association that included a romance. Officials also have acknowledged that Smith’s assignments included the bureau’s 1997 campaign finance investigation.